Radical Imagination for Racial Justice: Surdna Foundation's Thriving Cultures Revises Strategy

Submitted by Carmen Graciela Díaz on October 3, 2018

After a yearlong process of introspection and conversations with grantee partners, the Surdna Foundation recently announced its refined program strategy, "Radical Imagination for Racial Justice."

The program changes come 10 years after announcing their shift to an explicitly social justice approach to philanthropy, and six years after launching their current program strategies, states the announcement. The foundation views these changes as an opportunity to amplify the power that exists within communities to drive change.

Discussing the changes in the Thriving Cultures program, the foundation mentions:

Rather than concentrating on existing systems that perpetuate inequities, we are focusing on shaping and influencing future policies, technologies, and narratives to build more just and sustainable communities. With this in mind, we named our refined strategy Radical Imagination for Racial Justice.

The Thriving Cultures refined strategy shifts the program to three integrated and future-focused approaches:

Create, which will support the creation of new work by artists, culture-bearers, and designers and new platforms for artists to share their creative ideas with the world.
Clarify, which will support research to illuminate systems change thinking generated by artists, culture-bearers, and designers.
Connect, which will support work to link artists and their work to larger movements that advance equity.

According to Surdna, the refined strategy reflects the foundation's ongoing commitment to social justice by addressing the root causes of racism and prioritizing systemic change that will improve the lives of all marginalized groups.

Image: Surdna Foundation website